Cell culture media typically contains a wide range of bioactive
molecules with varying concentrations. These are caused by the presence of
serum. In contrast, serum-free media is designed for
cultivating a specific type of cell or for performing a specific application
without interference from these bioactive molecules.

Serum-free
media provides numerous advantages over cell culture media that
contains serum. These include vastly more consistent performance, easier
purification, easier processing, superior control over physiological
responsiveness, increased growth, increased productivity. It likewise
eliminates the need to sift through media batches, searching for relatively
good ones. It also allows the same batch of media to be used as a reliable
standard.